The final trailer for No Time to Die declares “in the beginning he became 007 and every mission…every sacrifice…has led him to this.” The trailer reveals new footage from the upcoming much-anticipated 25th James Bond film including spectacular action sequences and quieter character-driven scenes.
The cast is led by Daniel Craig, returning for the fifth time as the suave superspy. Rami Malek is Lyutsifer Safin, Ralph Fiennes is M, Naomie Harris is Eve Moneypenny, Rory Kinnear is Tanner, and Léa Seydoux plays Madeleine Swann. Ben Whishaw returns as Q, Jeffrey Wright is Felix Leiter, Lashana Lynch is Nomi, Billy Magnussen is Logan Ash, and Ana de Armas plays Paloma.
The 25th Bond film also features David Dencik as Valdo Obruchev, Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and Dali Benssalah as Primo.
MGM is currently expecting to release No Time to Die on October 8, 2021. The film was originally targeting a 2019 release but was bumped to 2020 after Danny Boyle exited the project and the script underwent rewrites. It moved to several 2020 dates before landing on November 12, 2020 which, obviously, did not happen due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.
Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, The Alienist) directs from a screenplay he wrote with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli serve as producers.
In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico season three episode six kicks off with a voiceover by key characters commenting on how we never forget the exact moment something terrible happens. Every mystery has one thing in common: nothing is ever what it seems.
Alex’s boss, Director Eduardo Ramos (David DeSantos), joins him as he continues to work on figuring out the mysterious Lockhart machine. Ramos believes there’s life on other planets and claims Deep Sky was created to speak with aliens, not kill them. If they can connect, anything is possible. The symbol on the Lockhart machine may be key to solving the puzzle.
“I believe we have the power to shape the narrative between our worlds,” says Ramos.
Alex (Tyler Blackburn) touches the machine and something activates. Bats begin slamming into the picture window.
Max (Nathan Dean) meets with Liz (Jeanine Mason) and Michael (Michael Vlamis) to go over the attack at his house. He returned home, found Maria unconscious, and then got jumped by someone in an alien mask. Another attacker slammed him into a wall and when he came to, Sheriff Taylor was there. They believe it was an attack by The Regiment.
Kyle’s car was there but there wasn’t any sign of him. Jordan’s behind bars but one of his racist cohorts could have kidnapped Kyle. Liz knows Kyle wouldn’t have voluntarily left behind an injured Maria, and Michael reminds them the funeral could be any day. Michael also notes that since Maria’s in a coma and was healthy in her visions, she has the ability to change the future.
Max adds that he saw a flash of light off in the desert – a detail he kept from Sheriff Taylor. Michael volunteers to check out the flash.
Isobel (Lily Cowles) visits Maria (Heather Hemmens) and uses her powers to enter Maria’s mindscape but doesn’t see anything useful. Liz and Rosa (Amber Midthunder) join her and Isobel explains she can feel Maria but can’t reach her. Liz can’t understand why Maria’s in a coma, and they worry her mind’s degrading faster than her mom’s. Rosa gives up her necklace to help stop any further degradation.
Liz and Max arrive at his place and she’s shocked to see Jones’ dog on his front porch. Max’s front door’s destroyed and they duck under crime scene tape to enter his house. The Regiment tagged the interior of his house and “Liberal Scum” greets the pair as they step inside.
Max hasn’t found any clues and wants Liz to see if she can spot anything he missed. They argue over the fact Max is continuing to push Liz away after calling her to help out.
Max steps out to feed the dog and winds up being led by his new four-legged family member to a spot in the desert. Liz finds them there and Max points out a large empty hole that he now believes is the crime scene. He had buried something out there, which he conveniently failed to mention, and Liz wants to get to work on analyzing the blood on the shovel.
Michael’s discovered the source of the flash Max saw and it turns out Kyle’s radio caused it. The radio’s in pieces and the radio tower’s heavily damaged. Max notes it took a lot of velocity to do this amount of damage. Michael thinks the alien glass inside the radio is the culprit. Kyle might have used the transmitter inside to call for help but instead the glass fried all the nearby radio towers. This particular tower, the closest one to Max’s place, also has dead bats around it.
“There’s a good chance whoever answered the SOS has Valenti,” explains Michael who’s turned into a first-rate detective now that he’s sober.
Liz isn’t sure; she thinks whoever dug up what Max buried in the desert could have Kyle. Michael realizes what his brother buried there and Max is forced to let Liz in on the secret Jones had a sword made of alien glass when they found him. Max thought burying it would be enough to keep it safe since it kills anyone who touches it unless they have his DNA.
Michael confirms it wasn’t Jones. He’s still safely tucked away in the cave.
It’s a real mystery. The person would have had to know what it was, where to dig, and have Max’s DNA to be able to lift it without getting severely burned.
Max no longer believes this was The Regiment. He’s going to get busy investigating while Liz checks out the blood. Michael grudgingly decides he needs to ask Alex if there’s a way to track the radio signal. The odds are stacked against them since the radio signal travels in every direction at once.
Over at Deep Sky, Ramos believes something messed with the bats’ echolocation. Alex points out his bandaged arm and Ramos claims he got a rabies shot, just to be safe. Alex blames himself for killing bats but Ramos warns him the risk was minimal considering what Alex has learned thus far.
Rosa’s working at the café when her sense of hearing ramps up. Sheriff Taylor’s outside yet Rosa’s able to overhear Deputy Deport ‘Em suggesting to Taylor strange things happen whenever Max is around. Taylor thinks it’s all in his head.
Isobel steps back into Maria’s mindscape, returning to a gothic version of the Wild Pony. Isobel dubs the place The Overlook Hotel Bar and promises to wait there until Maria contacts her. She draws a Ouija board on the pool table and uses the eight ball as a planchette. Something is keeping Maria from contacting her as bits of the ceiling and lights crash around Isobel and cover the pool table.
Rosa, sporting earmuffs, interrupts the session and asks for help. Rosa explains she’s suddenly hearing everything, including mosquitoes flapping their wings. As she panics, electrical equipment all over the hospital goes bonkers.
Isobel’s able to calm her down and gives her an “alien puberty” speech about how her body’s changing in “beautiful and unexpected ways.” Suddenly, Isobel has an epiphany; Rosa soaked in an alien pod for 10 years and now has super-hearing. Maybe she can hear Maria!
Rosa and Isobel wander around inside Maria’s mindscape as the bar continues to fall apart. A piercing noise pulls Rosa out of the vision and she storms off, upset. Isobel follows and apologizes for pressuring her. She thinks Rosa can handle this and needs to have more faith in herself.
Isobel confesses she had to learn to block out the noise after Noah’s death. She asks Rosa what makes her feel safe, and Rosa says music keeps her calm. She heard music in the mindscape and Isobel asks her to try and strip away the noise. She does, and now she believes she heard Maria underneath the noise.
Liz is frustrated by how slow the DNA process is going. Max apologizes for shutting her out and for not letting her in on the buried sword. The machine analyzing the DNA goes haywire and cuts off Max and Liz’s heart-to-heart before Max can explain why he’s being distant – again.
Alex meets Michael at the radio tower and asks for help finding out if anyone received Kyle’s radio transmission. Alex is acting weird and shuts down Michael’s suggestion that Kyle’s message was received and whoever was on the receiving end took their missing friend. But when Michael mentions the bloody shovel, Alex is reminded of Ramos’ bandaged arm. Michael says Liz is working on the shovel as they speak.
Michael stops Alex from leaving, upset Alex is apparently blowing this off. He asks why Kyle and Maria don’t deserve his attention, and Alex reveals he doesn’t want Michael near whatever it is he decides to do.
Michael returns to his lair to try and put the pieces together. He blames himself for Kyle going missing and Maria being in a coma. Walt Sanders, who is certain Alex and Michael are meant to be together, suggests Michael quit looking backward and instead focus on what’s going on now. Walt wonders why only vampire bats were affected by the radio signal.
Walt points out vampire bats use infrared to hunt, and Michael realizes infrared only travels in one direction while radio waves go every direction. The dead bats were only found at three towers. Michael figures out the radio signal masked the real signal – the signal that drew the bats. Walt circles the three towers that transmitted the real signal. If Michael follows the signal, he might locate Kyle.
Max meets Sheriff Taylor in the middle of nowhere. They’ve located a car that was on a traffic cam around the time Kyle went missing. It belongs to a member of The Regiment who claims he never uses it. Max thinks whoever stole it did so with the intention of returning it before anyone noticed it was gone. However, they had to ditch it because everything electronic in it broke down.
There’s blood on the steering wheel and Taylor points out the imprint of a sword burned into the floor of the trunk. She demands answers, fully aware Max is lying when he says the sword wasn’t his.
Alex joins Liz in Kyle’s office and they both admit if he wasn’t missing it would be Kyle they’d turn to for answers right now. They reminisce about Kyle and Alex admits Kyle makes doing the right thing look easy – but it’s not. The right thing isn’t always obvious.
“Or maybe it is and sometimes we just don’t see it,” replies Liz.
Alex asks for the samples and Liz hands them over, thankful for his help. (One sample is Kyle’s, the other is the unknown abductor.) That frees Liz up to spend some time with Maria. As she’s stroking Maria’s head she notices an alien glow and discovers a handprint under her hair.
Liz asks Max if he tried to heal Maria and he claims he didn’t, but he did put a pillow under her head when he found her. When he touched her head, he may have caused her to slip into a coma. Max believes he’s always the problem and Liz basically tells him to knock it off.
Alex requests a quick DNA analysis at Deep Sky, claiming it’s Director Ramos who needs it. The result: the unknown suspect is a relative of Kyle’s.
Rosa and Isobel follow Maria’s clues and determine she was trying to lead them to the jukebox and specifically to “Roof with a Hole” by The Meat Puppets. Rosa figures out Maria wants them to look at the hole in the roof.
Michael phones Alex and leaves a message informing him Kyle’s old radio was looking for its receiver. Whoever has the receiver has Kyle. Michael tracked it to a secure facility, while inside that facility Alex listens to the message as he looks around Ramos’ office. He finds a twin of Kyle’s radio just as Ramos enters his office. Alex knows this radio – and Ramos – received Kyle’s SOS call. He also points out Ramos is an uncle of Kyle’s, according to the DNA results. Ramos claims he doesn’t have a nephew. Also, Ramos doesn’t think Alex has his DNA.
Wrong!
Alex got it from the Department of Defense and has learned Ramos has suspected terrorist ties. Ramos continues to feign innocence as Alex demands to know where he’s taken Kyle. Ramos responds by pulling out a gun.
Liz monitors Rosa and Isobel as they return to Maria’s mindscape. They climb up to the Crashdown Café’s roof and are given a way into Maria’s memories. They watch as Max tries to help her and she tells him she believes The Regiment attacked Kyle. Kyle couldn’t breathe and she administered adrenaline. She remembers being attacked from behind and Kyle turning on the radio which then went flying through the doors, shattering them in the process.
Her attacker threw her and Kyle disappeared.
Rosa and Isobel watch this and note Max said he was attacked but there’s no one in sight. Also, he claimed Maria was unconscious and that the doors were broken when he threw his attacker through them. They realize Max is lying.
Liz is given a copy of a request Max made for a suspect who received treatment for third-degree burns to the hand the previous evening. He then retrieved gauze that was used in treating that person.
Liz runs through all the interactions she’s had recently with Max and realizes Max isn’t Max – he’s Jones!
Isobel and Rosa continue to watch Maria’s memories play out. Maria sits up and Max questions her about her grandmother’s visions. Maria knows something’s off and realizes she’s speaking to the clone, not the real Max Evans. When she won’t tell him her grandmother’s name, Jones uses his powers to force it from her mind.
His attack placed her in a coma and kept her mind hidden from Isobel. Fortunately, she was able to drop clues as to how to access her memories.
Liz joins Isobel and Rosa in Maria’s room and confirm they’ve all come to the same conclusion.
As the episode ends, Jones uses his dog, Loki, to help track the men who stole his alien sword. He retrieves it, kills the two men who took it, and then tells Loki they have work to do.
Netflix has dropped the first teaser trailer for The Guilty, a thriller based on the 2018 Danish film from writer/director Gustav Möller. The teaser arrives following a weekend campaign that asked audiences to call a specific number – 507-SAVE-HER – to listen in on a 9-1-1 call between Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, Joe Baylor, and a female caller named Emily.
The short teaser withholds any footage and instead uses audio to ramp up the tension.
Although Netflix’s official description lists only Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, the film’s IMDB page lists Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano, Riley Keough, Peter Sarsgaard, and Bill Burr as appearing in the 2021 remake.
The Guilty marks the second collaboration between filmmaker Antoine Fuqua and Jake Gyllenhaal. (The duo previously worked together on the 2015 boxing drama Southpaw.) Three-time Emmy Award nominee and Writers Guild Award winner Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) wrote the screenplay. Gyllenhaal, Fuqua, Riva Marker, Kat Samick, Scott Greenberg, Michel Litvak, Gary Michael Walters, David Litvak, Svetlana Metkina, and David Haring serve as producers.
Netflix is planning a September 24, 2021 release in select theaters followed by an October 1st release on the streaming service.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
The film takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Baylor (Gyllenhaal) tries to save a caller in grave danger-but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.
Peacock’s series adaptation of Richelle Mead’s bestselling Vampire Academy series has cast the key roles, with Mortal Kombat‘s Sisi Stringer on board to play vampire-human hybrid Rose Hathaway and Sex Education‘s Kieron Moore starring as Dimitri Belikov. The just-announced cast also includes J. August Richards, Daniela Nieves, Andre Dae Kim, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Rhian Blundell, Jonetta Kaiser, and Andrew Liner.
Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre created the series and are writing, executive producing, and serving as showrunners. Plec, who’s previously sunk her teeth into The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Legacies, will also direct an unknown number of episodes during the series’ first season.
Additional executive producers include Emily Cummins, Don Murphy, Susan Montford, Deepak Nayar, and Jillian DeFrehn. Bille Woodruff is directing the pilot, and Luis Prieto, Jesse Warn, Erica Dunton, and Geoff Shotz are also confirmed to direct season one episodes.
Vampire Diaries will shoot in Spain, with Peacock giving the one-hour supernatural drama a 10-episode first-season order.
Peacock’s casting announcement included the following synopsis and character descriptions:
“St. Vladmir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampire royals are educated and half-human teens train to protect them from the savage ‘Strigoi’ vampires who would like to see them destroyed.”
SERIES REGULARS:
SISI STRINGER will play Rose Hathaway, a vampire-human hybrid known as a Dhampir. Fiery and outspoken, Rose is a true fighter in spirit and in practice. She always jumps into action, and more often than not, this results in demerits. She might be the strongest fighter in her class, but her success will depend entirely on her willingness to toe the line when it counts.
DANIELA NIEVES (Sex Appeal, Five Points) will play Lissa Dragomir, a Royal Moroi vampire. Growing up the younger sister to the heir apparent, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir is a carefree, kind-hearted, royal princess coasting through her studies and happily chasing fun. Lissa is uninterested in the political machinations of the Royal Court or the hypocrisy of Moroi royal society. But with a sudden death in her family, Lissa is thrust into a role she’s neither trained for nor is emotionally equipped to handle.
KIERON MOORE will play Dimitri Belikov, the model of a Dhampir guardian: lethal, disciplined, discreet, and totally committed to his role as bodyguard to the ruling Moroi, the “good,” mortal vampires of his world. He lives by a deep moral code, but beneath his stoic, watchful surface, there’s an expansive spirit that could threaten to expose the underlying tension between his sense of what’s right and his formal duty to the Moroi.
ANDRÉ DAE KIM (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) will play Christian Ozera, a Royal Moroi vampire. Intelligent and thoughtful, Christian is the pariah of the school and royal court, due to his parents’ unforgiveable societal sins. Well-read and hungry for knowledge, he searches for faith-based answers and discovers a kindred spirit who is also looking for the truth.
J. AUGUST RICHARDS (Angel) will play Victor Dashkov. Victor is a Moroi noble vampire with a heart of gold who’s highly regarded for his role as advisor and political strategist to Moroi dignitaries. He’s a fierce loyalist who uses his intelligence and influence to protect that which he values most: the well-being of his husband and two adopted daughters, as well as the betterment of his Moroi community.
ANITA-JOY UWAJEH (West End’s Cyrano de Bergerac and King Lear), will play Tatiana Vogel. Tatiana is a Moroi vampire and political underdog who slowly takes the royal court by storm. Motivated by love and a sense of justice, Tatiana has a unique skill of making herself seem of no consequence until we realize much too late that she was always the one to watch.
MIA MCKENNA-BRUCE (The Dumping Ground) will play Mia Karp, a student at St. Vladimir’s Academy. Witty, cutting, and just the right kind of ruthless when necessary, non-Royal Mia has a long-term plan to social climb her way into the ranks of royalty, with all the privilege and freedom that entails. A plan complicated by her instant chemistry with Meredith, a Guardian-in-training, as Mia struggles to reconcile her attraction to Meredith with her lowly status.
RHIAN BLUNDELL (Torchwood: Believe) will play Meredith, a smart, strong-willed Dhampir who is a keen observer, which makes her an excellent strategist and a valuable asset. She has little patience for Rose’s volatility or Mia’s elitism, and regularly calls both of them out.
JONETTA KAISER (Breakwater) will play Sonya Karp. Quiet, careful and decidedly odd, Sonya is not of royal bloodline and sits out on the fringe of Moroi society, preferring to spend her time in the library or her gardens. Not a person who likes a scene, nonetheless she has a quiet but profound power of her own. She is taken by surprise when a Dhampir Guardian named Mikhail shows interest in her, a relationship that will expose both the brightest and darkest parts of her heart.
ANDREW LINER (Grown-ish) will play Mason Ashford. Charming, loyal and popular, Mason is Rose’s main competition in the quest to become the number one Guardian-in-training. Though their relationship is casual on her side, he is hopeful she will finally look at him and see him as something more.
The 30 second teaser for Netflix’s You season three features a voice-over by Joe (Penn Badgley) musing on name of his first child. “People these days will name their kids anything to get attention,” says Joe who’s obviously not a fan of “Forty Reincarnated,” the nickname his son’s grandmother has chosen to bestow on his child.
Joe continues, “A boy is not what we expected and I would be lying if I said the thought of a mini-me is purely exciting and not without challenges. Let’s just say I’m hoping you’ll do as I say, not as I do.”
The short teaser finds Joe swearing he’s willing to transform and promising he’ll change. “I’ll be a man you look up to, a man you will be proud to call dad,” says Joe.
In addition to Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, the season three cast includes Victoria Pedretti (Love Quinn-Goldberg), Saffron Burrows (Dottie Quinn), Tati Gabrielle (Marianne), and Dylan Arnold (Theo). Shalita Grant (Sherry), Travis Van Winkle (Cary), Scott Speedman (Matthew), Michaela McManus (Natalie), Shannon Chan-Kent (Kiki), Ben Menhl (Dante), Chris O’Shea (Andrew), and Christopher Sean (Brandon) also star in the upcoming season of the critically acclaimed thriller.
You season three premieres on October 15, 2021.
Season three is executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Sera Gamble, Gina Girolamo, Leslie Morgenstein, Sarah Schechter, and Michael Foley.
The teaser was accompanied by the first photos from season three along with a synopsis:
“In Season 3, Joe and Love, now married and raising their baby, have moved to the balmy Northern California enclave of Madre Linda, where they’re surrounded by privileged tech entrepreneurs, judgmental mommy bloggers and Insta-famous biohackers. Joe is committed to his new role as a husband and dad, but fears Love’s lethal impulsiveness.
And then there’s his heart. Could the woman he’s been searching for all this time live right next door? Breaking out of a cage in a basement is one thing. But the prison of a picture-perfect marriage to a woman who’s wise to your tricks? Well, that’ll prove a much more complicated escape.”
The short teaser trailer for Apple TV+’s The Problem With Jon Stewart finds the 22-time Emmy Award winner being caught off-guard by how he’s aged. He screams at his image in the mirror and asks, “Why would I go back to a visual medium? I could have done a podcast!” Fortunately for Stewart’s fans, he chose to do both.
Apple’s set a September 30, 2021 premiere date for the current affairs series hosted and executive produced by Jon Stewart. Brinda Adhikari serves as showrunner and also executive produces with Stewart’s manager James Dixon and EDEN Productions’ Richard Plepler. Chelsea Devantez is on board as the head writer and Lorrie Baranek is supervising producer.
New episodes will arrive every other week on Thursdays. The podcast also debuts on September 30th, with new episodes airing weekly.
The Problem With Jon Stewart Details, Courtesy of Apple:
The Problem With Jon Stewart is a multiple-season, single-issue series, taking a deep-dive on the most important topics that are currently part of the national conversation. In this new Apple Original series, Stewart will be in discussion with the people who are impacted by the issue — as well as those who have a hand in creating the impact. Together, they will discuss tangible steps that can lead to a solutionary path forward.
The companion series podcast will extend the conversation from each episode, featuring staff members from across the show who will bring us interviews with activists in the space, the facts on the issue, and yes, lots of jokes.
CBS promises the upcoming 41st season of Survivor will be faster and more intense than any previous season of the reality competition series. Season 41 will feature 18 new castaways and is set to premiere on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, kicking off with a two-hour episode airing at 8pm ET/PT.
This season’s castaways include an ex-NFL player, a teacher, a pastor, and a neurosurgeon. The 18 contestants will be divided into three tribes when they begin their quest to outwit, outplay, and outlast their competition and win the $1 million grand prize.
“I cannot remember a time when I’ve been this excited to launch a new season of Survivor,” said executive producer and Emmy Award winning host Jeff Probst. “Survivor 41 features a really likable group of savvy Survivor players, and they are in for the most intense, most difficult and most dangerous season we’ve ever done. We know we have the most loyal fans of any show on television, and we are pumped to bring them a new, exciting season of Survivor!”
CBS issued the following description of season 41 along with details on the 18 castaways:
“Survivor 41 begins a bold new era this fall with the introduction of exciting fresh elements to the competition, which promise to intensify the battle for $1 million and the title of Sole Survivor. As the thrilling competition begins on the beautiful islands of Fiji, 18 determined castaways will be divided into three tribes of six to face a faster, more intense and more dangerous season than ever before. The unpredictable, accelerated pace will test even the strongest super-fan, as supplies are minimal, reward challenges are scarce, and players find themselves faced with advantages that could significantly help their game or, just as easily, extinguish their torch.
For the first time, host Jeff Probst will also take viewers inside the action, addressing the audience directly throughout the season, even letting fans in on some twists before the players are made aware. In addition, junior fans can test their own Survivor skills by playing the new ‘Game within the Game.’ Each week, they’ll have to spot a hidden rebus puzzle within the episode and then solve it.”
The cast competes on ‘Survivor’ when the Emmy Award-winning series returns for its 41st season (Photo: Robert Voets / CBS Entertainment 2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)
Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig in ‘Heels’ season 1 episode 3 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Season one episode three of Starz’s Heels opens with a flashback of Ace and Jack’s dad, Tom (David James Elliott), out for a jog. He makes it home, looks around his property, and does some chores including mowing the lawn. His last act before committing suicide is to hang a “Carol’s Garden” sign above a door. Once that’s complete, he fetches a gun, returns to the front porch, places the barrel under his chin, and pulls the trigger.
The gunshot wakes Ace (Alexander Ludwig) who steps outside and discovers his father’s dead body.
Flash-forward to current events and it’s revealed Bobby Pin (Trey Tucker) has a part-time job as a bouncer at a strip club. He’s bursting with pride over getting a spot in the Main Event but has to cut short his call to his parents when a female customer gets a little too close to a dancer.
Elsewhere, Jack (Stephen Amell) checks in with Ricky Rabies (Phillip Jack “CM Punk” Brooks), a popular wrestler who’s agreed to a DWL match. The dome will be packed thanks to Ricky coming to town, which means there will be quite a crowd to watch Ace and Bobby Pin square off as the Main Event match-up.
Speaking of Ace, he’s busy rehearsing the speech he’ll deliver that night in the ring. In it, Ace blames Jack for betraying him and claims he knows how to handle adversity, just like everyone else in Duffy. You brush yourself off and get on with life.
Crystal (Kelli Berglund) wonders if the speech isn’t too positive and thinks it might work better if he took a different approach. Jack interrupts and supports Ace until Ace suggests they change a line to “because good always – always – triumphs over evil.” Jack knows that’s not true but Ace firmly believes that’s the way the world works.
Jack apologizes for what’s been happening to Ace since he humiliated him in the ring. He’s worried Ace will leave only to become a pawn in bigger leagues and never have the career he desires. Jack hopes his brother will stick around and help the DWL grow, something which in turn could make Ace into a bigger star.
The crowd’s watching Rooster (Allen Maldonado) in the ring while Jack and Willie (Mary McCormack) meet with two of the DWL’s biggest sponsors, Mr. and Mrs. Eddie and Annie Earl. Backstage, the wrestlers cheer Bobby as he chugs a bottle of Smirnoff Ice which is apparently part of some weird Main Event ritual. Ace is handed a bottle when he arrives and also kneels on one knee while sucking it down.
Fight over, Rooster joins the group backstage. He can’t believe a newbie who doesn’t know all the moves is getting the Main Event slot with Ace.The mood lightens with the arrival of Ricky Rabies, his son Wolfgang (Stone Garcia), and his valet Vicky (Bonnie Somerville). Ricky’s act requires fake blood, but he assures the Spade brothers it’s all in good fun. Ricky won’t be bleeding in the ring; the Rabies use the fake blood during his entrance. They’re all about getting the crowd worked up.
After Ricky and his family leave to get ready, Ace gets in Jack’s face. He’s angry that what was supposed to be his night to be the star attraction is now all about Ricky Rabies. Ace thinks that despite what the poster says, the real Main Event is Jack vs Ricky.
Jack assures his little brother Ricky’s past his prime and is just an opening act who puts butts in seats.
While Vicky’s mixing up a batch of blood, she offers Crystal advice on how to become indispensable as Ace’s valet.
Meanwhile, Staci (Alison Luff) is having a girls’ night out with a group of friends who’ve just arrived in town for a visit. They’re drinking and playing catch-up when a waiter proudly announces the appetizers are on the house. He believes it’s an honor to serve Mrs. Jack Spade and wonders if they’re heading to the dome. Much to Staci’s dismay, the women want to watch the night’s fights.
Staci and her friends take their seats just as Ace enters the dome. He’s greeted by a loud chorus of boos and one of Staci’s friends describes Ace as a “dirty” Thor. (She means that as a compliment.)
The crowd quiets as Ace begins his speech but soon it’s back to boos; he fails to win them over. A heckler calls him a cry baby and tosses a packet of tissues into the ring. A chant of “Cry Baby” rings out and dozens of packets of tissues fly through the air, some even hitting Ace in the face.
Jack watches from backstage and keeps the faith, sure Ace will pull it together. No, he won’t. Ace lets the negativity of the crowd affect him and flees the ring. He throws a fit backstage, blaming Jack – again – for the crowd turning on him.
Jack points out it doesn’t matter if they were booing or cheering, at least the crowd was chanting. Fed up, Jack reminds Ace that generating heat is his job. “You’d make a really good heel, Ace,” yells Jack, inches from his brother’s face.
Ace believes he and his father are “faces” because they’re good guys while Jack’s definitely better suited to be a heel. Jack, in a near whisper, replies, “Tom Spade was a face, all right, yeah, because he was a good guy. He’s a real good guy. He knew that you were home…”
Ace is rendered speechless and remains still as Jack walks away.
Jack touches base with Ricky to firm up the script for their fight while Crystal follows Vicky’s suggestions about knowing what a wrestler needs. She tries to get Ace’s mind off his problems with a quickie.
Rooster grabs a minute with Jack to discuss why Bobby’s in the Main Event. Jack claims it’s because Bobby is a nobody and that’s what’s needed for a match with Ace right now. Jack praises Rooster’s skills and acknowledges he’s the best guy they have in the DWL. (He’s got personality, grace, and raw talent.) However, he’s not getting a shot at the title until it makes sense for the storyline.
Stephen Amell and Phillip Jack “CM Punk” Brooks in ‘Heels’ season 1 episode 3 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Jack receives his own chorus of boos when he enters the ring, but the difference is he embraces the reaction. He calls out for a challenger and Ricky accepts, entering the dome to KISS’ “Detroit Rock City.” Ricky whips the crowd into a frenzy, and a drone with a badger-looking animal (seriously, what is that thing?!) spits blood into Jack’s face.
The match starts with Ricky tossing Jack around like a ragdoll as he struggles to clear the blood from his face. The crowd roots for Ricky as the action moves outside the ring. Jack momentarily gets control and they return to the ring, but then Ricky quickly gets the upper hand once again. Jack falls to the mat and looks down for the count.
Ace steps outside the doom and finds Rooster having a smoke. Rooster shows him a video of Wild Bill calling himself a superstar while wearing only a championship belt with his penis fully exposed. Rooster recalls seeing Wild Bill years ago and dreaming of becoming a wrestler. He started wrestling at 16 and has been in leagues all over Georgia. He’s been loved all over and his talents have been praised, but he’s never had a shot at the championship belt.
“That championship belt…it really only stands out against a white background,” says Rooster.
Rooster admits he thought it would be different under Jack’s leadership but nothing’s changed. Ace puts down his brother, still upset Jack wants him to turn heel. Surprisingly, Rooster defends Jack and agrees Ace just doesn’t work as a face anymore after crying in the ring.
Back inside, Jack and Ricky roll around and talk to each other about their next moves and about their aching bodies. Seconds later the fight ends with Jack emerging victorious, exactly as scripted.
Jack heads backstage and can’t find Ace who’s disappeared minutes before he’s supposed to fight Bobby. With his brother a no-show, Jack prepares to fight back-to-back matches. Fortunately, Ace returns and saves Jack from having to put his body through two consecutive fights.
The boos rain down as Ace joins Bobby in the ring. Ace whispers to the newbie to follow his lead and then begins to pummel Bobby. Ace climbs onto the top rope, stands with his arms spread, and then leaps down. Instead of landing on Bobby, Ace lands on his back in the ring. He grimaces in pain as Bobby stomps him a few times before they get to their feet. Ace delivers a back kick to his groin and the crowd responds to the cheap shot. One man yells out, “That’s a damn heel move!”
Ace officially turns heel as shoves tissues into Bobby’s mouth before knocking him out with a kick to the face.
Ace soaks up the jeers and then screams, “I’m Ace Spade! There’s a fire…I did it! There’s an earthquake…I did it!” He points around the audience and yells, “You don’t know what you’ve got coming for you!”
Bobby (wearing a huge grin) and Ace are greeted with applause backstage. Jack’s proud of his brother but Ace appears to be completely embracing the heel role. He tells Crystal off and then focuses his wrath on Willie, calling her a b*tch.
Ricky, Vicky, and Wolfgang prepare to hit the road, but first Vicky steals a moment with Crystal. Vicky thinks Crystal’s got a bright future ahead of her and advises her to stay skinny by eating tuna for lunch and gummy bears for dinner. (Uh, no, just don’t.)
The episode draws to a close with Jack and Staci arguing over the amount of time he spends on the DWL and Wild Bill showing up unexpectedly at Willie’s place. Ace visits his dad’s grave while, on a happier note, Bobby surprises Rooster by hiding a Smirnoff Ice in his car. After making Rooster promise to send him a video verifying he drank it, Bobby climbs the water tower.
Still high from playing a part in the Main Event that found Ace turning into a heel, Bobby leaves another voice message for his parents. He thinks they’d be happy things are going so well for him and describes his experience as part of the DWL as amazing. He thanks them for being the greatest parents and says he can’t wait for them to come to Duffy to see him in the ring.
Matt Long as Zeke Landon and Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela Stone in ‘Manifest’ (Photo by: Peter Kramer/Warner Brothers/NBC)
Netflix listened to Manifest‘s passionate fans and is responding by renewing the dramatic series for a fourth and final season. Netflix made the announcement on August 28th – a date celebrated by Manifest fans in recognition of Flight 828.
Seasons one through three aired first on NBC before making their way to Netflix where they’ve consistently been on the Top 10 list of most popular content. The super-sized season four, which will be exclusive to Netflix, will consist of 20 new episodes.
Fans immediately launched a #SaveManifest campaign when NBC announced it was canceling the series back in June. Series creator Jeff Rake acknowledged the impact of that campaign in a statement, thanking the fans and Netflix for the opportunity to bring the series to a satisfying conclusion.
“What started years ago as a flight of fancy deep in my imagination has evolved into the jet engine journey of a lifetime. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned the worldwide outpouring of love and support for this story, its characters, and the team who work so hard to bring it all to life. That we will be able to reward the fans with the ending they deserve moves me to no end. On behalf of the cast, the crew, the writers, directors, and producers, thank you to Netflix, to Warner Bros., and of course to the fans. You did this,” said Rake.
“Since its premiere on Netflix in June, Manifest has proven very popular with our members,” stated Bela Bajaria, Netflix Head of Global TV. “Jeff Rake and his team have crafted a beguiling mystery that has viewers around the world on the edge of their seats and believing again in second chances, and we’re thrilled that they will bring fans some closure with this final super-sized season.”
The cast is led by Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela Stone and Josh Dallas as Ben Stone. Athena Karkanis plays Grace Stone, Luna Blaise is Olive Stone, Jack Messina is Cal Stone, and Parveen Kaur stars as Saanvi Bahl. Matt Long plays Zeke Landon and J.R. Ramirez is Jared Vasquez.
Manifest is produced by Jeff Rake Productions and Compari Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television. Creator/showrunner Jeff Rake executive producers along with Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Jacqueline Levine, and Len Goldstein.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. Yet in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years — and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible in this emotionally rich, unexpected journey into a world grounded in hope, heart, and destiny.
How can global superstars BTS make their smash hit “Butter” even hotter? By adding none other than the queen of hot girl summer, Grammy Award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
“While the original version brimming with bright energy put forth the distinctive personality of BTS, the latest version adds more flavor with the rap verses from Megan Thee Stallion,” stated BigHit Music.
The sizzling remix almost didn’t happen. Fans found out about the remix due to court documents filed by Megan Thee Stallion on Tuesday, August 24, 2021. The rapper alleged that her record label was preventing her from releasing the song. Because the news first broke on TMZ, fans were left to wonder if it was true. Prior to the filing, there hadn’t been any official details released on the remix.
Variety confirmed the legal filing and broke the news that a judge had ruled Megan Thee Stallion was cleared to release the remix with BTS.
Shortly after the news broke, BTS fans (ARMY) and Megan Thee Stallion fans (Hotties) decided to honor the collaboration by starting a charity drive to raise $100,000 to donate to three different charities: Black Women for Wellness, Women for Afghan Women, and The Houston Food Bank. Using the hashtag #TheeArmyFund, they were able to meet their goal in under 24 hours.
The “Butter” remix was released at midnight ET on Friday, August 27th on all major streaming platforms. The song is accompanied by a colorful visualizer music video on YouTube.
Megan Thee Stallion shared her excitement about this collaboration, stating, “I love BTS so I’m super excited to be on the ‘Butter’ remix. I can’t wait for all the Hotties and ARMY to hear it.”
“Butter” has been dubbed the “song of the summer” and even topped topping Billboard’s newest chart – Songs of The Summer – as proof it deserves the title. The chart made its debut 10 weeks ago and “Butter” has been at number one all 10 weeks.
iTunes was down on August 27th but it’s safe to assume the “Butter” remix would be dominating that platform, as they’ve done with every release since 2017 when “Mic Drop” ft. Steve Aoki went to number one on the iTunes US 200 chart.
The remix follows what has been an incredibly hot summer (not just talking about the weather) for BTS, with “Butter” becoming the longest-reigning number-one Billboard Hot 100 song of 2021, retaining its grip on the number one spot for nine weeks. In addition, the song broke countless records including the biggest music video premiere on YouTube with 108.2 million views in 24 hours and the most opening day streams in Spotify history with 20.9 million unfiltered global streams.
There’s no word yet on if BTS will be releasing an album any time soon. But don’t fret…fans will not be bored waiting for BTS to drop a new album. Besides the “Butter” remix, BTS will be performing with a long list of other artists on September 25, 2021 at the Global Citizen Live benefit concert. (More information about their performance is expected soon.) The Grammy-nominated group is also up for several Moon Men at the 2021 MTV VMAs in the Song of Year, Best Pop, and Best K-pop categories. Winners will be announced on Sunday, September 12th at 8pm ET.
